Oil Field Engine News

Oil &amp; Gas Journal

By Russell Farmer

| April 2005

A Caterpillar Twenty at work in the Pennsylvania oil fields. Introduced in 1927, the Twenty was the first all-new tractor produced by Caterpillar, which incorporated in 1925 following the merger of Holt and Best.

I would like to thank Nick Poncelet of Columbia Falls, Mont., for sharing with us a December 1929 issue of The Oil & Gas Journal, which has a wealth of advertisements for the old oil field engines and equipment.

As time and space allow, I hope to share many of these great advertisements with our readers in future issues. The one I have selected this month will appeal to the oil field engine enthusiast as well as the Caterpillar tractor fan.

The advertisement shows a wonderful scene of a Cat Twenty in the Pennsylvania oil fields pulling a big twin-cylinder engine into position at a drilling rig construction site. I cannot identify the make of the engine, but perhaps one of our readers can.

The advertisement touts the reputation of Caterpillar tractors in the worldwide market, suggesting cost savings and bigger profits for the oil man who uses a Cat tractor. Prices are quoted at $1,125 for the Model Ten; $1,500 for the Fifteen; $1,975 for the Twenty; $2,475 for the Thirty; and $4,300 for the Sixty. In 1929, at the dawn of the Great Depression, I am sure any of these units would have represented a major investment, but certainly an improvement over the old mule team.

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